Pages

Friday, June 1, 2012

Duggar Swimwear

With summer just around the corner--unless you are one of our fabulous followers Down Under--it is time to talk swimsuits.

At the Duggars' home in Northwest Arkansas, 89 degrees Fahrenheit is the average temperature during the months of July and August. In that sweltering heat, water fights and giant, homemade slip 'n slides are a must.

When engaging in any activity that involves water, the Duggar girls dress in WholesomeWear, while the guys don shorty wetsuits or swim-trunks and shirts.

"The goal really is just to keep our focus on our countenance and to not be drawing attention to places that our eyes don't need to be going," explains Michelle Duggar in 19 Kids and Counting, "Duggars Take a Dip."

"Our parents have always taught us that it is important to be modest, so we have chosen to wear modest swimwear," says Jinger, eighteen years old and number six in the Duggar lineup. "And our modest swimsuits are comfortable," she adds.

93 comments:

Yes, it's warming up! :) Our family prefers to wear swim shirts with swim shorts, but we used to wear the same stuff the girls wear. We just found it too difficult to swim in, but it does look lovely and feminine! Good for them for not compromising their beliefs when it's time for water fights and swimming. =)

I am a loyal fan of the duggars, but I think they take this swimsuit thing too far. The girls don't have to wear some teeny tiny string bikini, but what's wrong with a one peice swimsuit? How do they even swim in those long dresses? I also think it's ridiculous that even they babies and toddlers have to be "modest". I mean, they are children! When it's so hot out, it's mean to make a 2 or 3 year old wear a short sleeve shirt under their sundress. Just my opinion.

Sorry I didn't get to Finish my last comment so anyway since the wholesome wear is expensive, I wear a loose swim shirt and shorts that go over my knees. They can swim because the wholoseome wear dresses snap in between the legs so they have more mobility

Yeah, I agree that I don't know how they can swim in that much material, but I guess if it's what they're used to, all the more power to them. I'm always looking for people able to make swimwear that is modest and comfortable; it's SO hard to buy it! Oh yeah, and the girls won't have to worry about straps falling down while they swim. That can be a struggle too

@Vi's mommyI disagree with Vi's mommy. I am also a fan of the Duggars, and am very glad they are serious about being modest. With their fame, the last thing they need is to be immodest! The children obviously agree with their parents on modesty, and I think that if they didn't, Jim Bob and Michelle would definitely consider different swimwear.And swimming in them, no problem! Those older girls certainly aren't extreme swimmers! The younger ones want to be like the older ones, and it's good to start young on anything you want to last.Immodesty is a problem in this day and age, and I'm glad the Duggars realize that.Does anyone agree with me? Or disagree? I'm interested in different peoples views. Lets start a discussion.

I'm an older mom of a 14year old daughterand i love the example the dugger girls set.I'm all about modesty.Thankfully so is my daughter. She's saving herself for huband we wouldn't go out in public in our undergarments so why do we disply our bodys in the summer? Good for the duggars! We all could learn from them.

yes it gets very hot where i live, sometimes in the 90's and higher and sometimes in the winter we've gone down to the 30's it's crazy how this weather keeps changing. sadley i cant stand neither because i suffer from anxiety problems, :-( my favorite is spring time. i prefer it in the middle around cool and warm maybe 75 degrees or so. :-)

@ anonymous 11:21am i agree with you, i had a post but it unfortunately wasn't put up, maybe it was too much detail, i dont know, but i was trying to get a point across about why i agree with modesty. i didnt think my post was bad or anything like that as what i said was the truth and as i wasn't trying to offend or disrespect anyone, but i guess Lily and Ellie didnt see it that way. if they wanted to, they could have edited it to where it was more proper. but it doesnt matter. but i do agree with you and my comment was also to Vi's mommy.

I respect that the Duggar girls wear Modestwear; however, I wonder exactly hoe they feel about doning a very cumbersome outfit to swim? Certainly, I can support not wearing a brazilian bikini; but how about a tankini? Land's End offers many modest suits that are stylish, comfortable for swimming and cool to wear. And, there is no reason why JB should be swimming in his jeans and shirt!!!

Vi's mommy, let me tell you something. i dont think the Duggars take their covering too far. i wouldn't wear those suits but i do wear long beach shorts with a shirt. about the girls wearing one piece bathing suits, let me tell you that my daughters are 6 and 9 and they are very well developed from the rear, (if it sounds right putting it in those words) and i use to think that it was okay to let my girls wear clothing that i thought looked cute on them. well let me put it this way, unless you've had a bad experience with nasty perverted men looking or lusting on at the time my 9 yr old was about 5 we were at walmart and i was with my mother and 2 daughters. i stood with my 6 yr old at the time somewhere else in the store. (she was about 2 1/2 or 3 yrs old) and (my oldest was about 6ish or 5 1/2ish), well my daughter went with my mother to customer service and my mother told me that a 30 something yr old said something among the words of umm or something like that, never again did i dress my girls in such "cute clothing." also now i buy shorts with a shirt for them to wear to the beach. not only do i show my daughters to cover up i also am extra cautious with them. it can happen to anyone, and when i've gone to the beach i've seen men not even hiding it, starring at women in bikinis and even one piece bathing suits show a lot. so i do agree with the Duggars. i hope this helps see another type of point of view. Lily and Eille i hope this is appropriate to post, i tried my hardest to word this in an appropriate way. thank you!!!

I do have one of the modest swimwear dress swimsuits. It is definitely not something you can swim in, doesn't matter if it snaps between the legs. That comes undone all the time when in the water. Also the water makes it float up as water catches underneath the dress part of it. Doesn't bother me too much as I am not a big swimmer and mostly just go in the pool to hold my little ones. It mostly is for modest cover up when going to the beach or going to play in water outside and get splashed on and wet as it doesn't matter if it gets wet and dries rather quickly in the sun. I don't think most people overly worried about modesty are big fitness gurus as the two do not go hand in hand very well. I am not saying you can't be modest and exercise, so I am not saying there aren't people who can do it. If I could swim well, I would not be able to wear this type of suit, but I cannot swim well. I do like to be modest, but let me tell you I HATE to be hot. I could not run in jeans or a skirt for that matter nor sweats in the summer. So when it comes to fitness, for the most part major modesty goes out the window for me. I like to let my sweat leave my body not cling to it. These suits are not good in hot weather if you are not going to get wet as they are very warm when it is hot out and will make you overly sweat (at least I do). That is just my take on wearing one anyway.

I think your family is one of the greatest examples!! Your faith, witness, and what a Christian family should look like are admired my many! I miss your weekly shows. May God bless you guys and thank you!!

I like the Duggar girls' swimwear! At first glance, it looks like a lot of fabric, but I think it is just something we are not used to. They've never known any different, so it doesn't seem like a lot for them. Some might think they are hot to wear, but it's obviously they wear it to swim and then change out of it, unlike less modest suits where people wear them all day without cover-ups or to lay out to get tanned. Their suits and their attitude about respecting God, themselves and others in dress really inspires me! It sets a new example of what is really "cool"! (I happen to think swimming while being covered is a whole lot more comfortable than swimming while wearing practically next to nothing! No worrying about tugging the suit to cover or who can see what...)

Also, when the family was in Israel, some of the boys were wearing clinging wet suits that showed far more than what a regular loose bathing suit ever would. I felt embarassed for them to be exposed like that.

I think the dresses are overkill. First of all, if the point is to detract attention from anything but the face, having wet material wrapped around and stuck to the contours of the legs and body doesn't accomplish that. In addition, wearing something so unusual for your culture can actually attract attention and inspection.

Second, someone on this blog already posted that these dresses make it very difficult to swim. If girls are taught from a young age that comfort and ability to swim are not as available to them as to a boy, that enforces inferiority and the idea that women are guilty and responsible for anything wrong that happens. I wear a one piece suit with shorts and a shirt made of mesh material like exercise clothes. They handle water well and don't cling, and the shorts don't have so much extra material that they wrap around my legs. Modest doesn't have to mean a dress all the time.

It's 55 here today in the Pacific Northwest. And drizzling rain all day. I wear a.swim top with a shirt over it. Unless it's extremely hot whigh is rare. And swim shorts with a skirt over them. We go to water Parks every year. I don't feel out of place. And see others in similar outfits. My boys don't wear tops unless they want to.

I love this swimdress: http://shop.becomingapparel.com/Opal-Faye-Turquoise-777.htm. You can pull or roll the leggings up if you don't want to wear them that long, which I don"t don"t. I push them up around or right above my kneecaps.

An ironic fact that I wear a swimdress is that I typically don"t wear dresses or skirts, unless it's a special occusion. At my church, most of the women wear slacks or even jeans to Sunday morning worship.

I am a mother of 2 and a grandmother of 3 girls and 1 boy, my children and grandchildren wear regular swimming suits like all their friends do. I think wearing one of those suits are ok if you want to and your parents are not forcing you to wear one, but I do not see anything wrong with a regular swimming suit. Yes, some suits are too revealing and should not be worn by children or adolescents, but most of the one piece or even two piece suits are suitable for girls, teens and adults. I am 67 years old and wear a tankini, I live in South Florida where summers are long and hot, my tankini covers everything that needs to be covered but lets me swim, lay in the sand, and walk around the beach or pool. A swimming suit like the one the Duggars wear only makes others pay more attention to you.

The Duggars are being helpful to Brothers and Sisters around them by not causing them to sin. I like their suits, and appreciate their modesty, but this site http://comstox.com/page/1fhfj/Modest_Swimwear.htmlHas more of a style that I would like for myself! :)

I wear a wholesomewear swim suit. It has been a recent conviction of mine that, if normaly, I would not wear anything above the knee, why would I do so at a beach? Before I would wear a swim shirt and shorts. Yes. I have noticed that there is a little more drag in the water with these suits but then I'm not concerned about doing laps in record timing either. When women swimsuits first came out, they were very close to what the Duggars wear now. But because there was no sound biblical convictions the ladies then had, we see where this has taken the swim wear today.

For those looking for a modest suit without the high price, you might consider sewing your own. I've been making my own suit for years now and have written an ebook on how to do it with a little bit more style than the wholesome wear :). Freshmodesty.com :)

It's not socially acceptable to wear underwear in public in other places, I don't know why that gets thrown out the door when swimming. There are plenty of cute and modest options made with nice light weight materials. I have a "slim suit" that has a wide strap tank top and capris separates and it is awesome, I've never felt more comfortable, covered, and stylish at the pool.

Lily and Ellie-Thanks for sharing and for this blog :-). I admire the Duggars; in today's society, people with their morals, values, beliefs are not plentiful. I read a book called Worldiness vs. Holiness in 2010, it is about how a Christian woman should dress. After reading it, watching the Duggars, and some working on my heart by the Holy Spirit, I've changed to a more modest way of dressing. I make sure I'm covered from the neck to below the knee. Like the Duggars, I do everything in a skirt (I sew so that helps too). I love the wholesome wear and I have a modest swimsuit (not a wholesome wear) that is a swimdress with leggings. It's not hot and very pretty. Like someone mentioned in an earlier post, you don't have to worry about your swimsuit top coming off.

The issue with a "modest" one-piece bathing suit is the fact that the person wearing it is still Biblically naked. (Research nakedness in the Bible--God considers the uncovered thigh to be naked). I wish I could afford these bathing suits for my girls and myself--we just don't go swimming. But I'm going to change that soon by finding some affordable alternatives.

@Vi's mommy I think that there isn't anything wrong with the swim wear they have. It goes right along with their values and how they dress in everyday life. A one piece wouldn't even be considered for the girls because it shows too much of their leg. i think they don't show higher than their knees.

For those that believe these modest swimsuits draw too much attention in their own way, think about this. Would you rather someone see your leg all the way up to the top of the thigh, or see you covered?

We are very conservative too and my daughters would love these swimsuits. The last few times they have gone swimming they have gone in full skirts and tops. I told them they needed to make a bathing suit that is modest, something very similar to these.

@AnonymousI gather from your comments that you honestly believe that children in such a controlling environment could actually express and have a different opinion accepted and honored. I regret that I believe you are very wrong. I feel it is nothing less than criminal to brainwash a child with ones religious extremist views. I sincerely ache for these children. There's something very wrong with wanting your innocent children to be displayed in public dressed like freaks. Also, I feel it's a very dangerous way to dress in water. If there were ever a real water emergency, that much extra weight would hinder ones ability to remain above water as long as someone of equal health with more streamlined clothing. There less extreme and less obstructing options.

I also wear wholesome wear. They are really comfortable, easy to swim in, and they make me feel beautiful. I am so comfortable in them, that I can be myself and not worry about what somebody is looking at. I also think that you shouldn't be upset at the swimsuits the Duggar's have chosen, because you happen to think that it's overkill. I know several other women who wear these swim suits, and we all feel the same, we love them. We are not going out and yelling at people for wearing a bikini where everything shows, trust me I've been there before so I wouldn't tell someone they can't wear one, so people shouldn't yell at us for loving our wholesome wear! I love mine. Have the slimming swimmer in blue and black. Receive endless complements on it every summer.

From a life guards point of view these 'modest swim dresses are not safe at all. THey become very heavy when soaked with water, they wrap around the legs preventing good kicking and if they were to become caught or stuck down beneath the surface, no one would know and they wouldnt be able to free themselves. They say they don't want any unwanted attention drawn towards the girls...WELL DON'T DRESS THEM IN SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO MAKE PEOPLE STARE AT THEM FOR GOODNESS SAKES. Just a pair of decent shorts and a tank top is all they need. WHy should the boys get to be free to move in the water when the girls don't get near the same treatment. I say BOO to the Duggars swim wear...too freaking weird looking.

I wear a HydroChic swimsuit. It's modest but also very flattering.. They have tank tops and long sleeves and skirts with pants underneath or even just pants or shorts. Also the swimsuit is made of special materials that block the suns rays.http://hydrochic.com/

People's comments seem to act as if they are competitive swimmers and that the need super sleek garments in the water. You are flopping around in a back yard hose or the slip and slide on a hill, that's all they'd need to do.

As far as modesty goes, when do you suggest people become modest? At 10 or 15 or when? If they are modeled modesty as they grow it is second nature to them.

Did you know that competitive swimmers wear extra clothing while they are training? Then when they are competing in just their swim suits, they are much faster, because they trained with extra drag. Unless you have tried these wholesome suits, you really don't know how much extra drag there is.

I make my own modest swim dresses. It looks like a tennis dress with the bottoms separate for a more sanitary and modest trip to the bathroom. I also have snaps in the hem to keep,the skirt down while in the water. I'm thinking about putting cap sleeves on my next swim suit to prevent burning my shoulders.

For my daughter, I made hers as an extra long mock turtle neck tunic with bike shorts. I let the swim suit provide the sunblock. For my husband and sons I made swim shirts/rash guards to go with their board shorts. My husband and children are very white.

Training children to be modest is not a crime. It's doing them a favor!

I find it interesting that you have a Victoria's Secret ad, RIGHT next to the top paragraph about modest swimsuits. The VS model is wearing only a bra and skimpy panties, which completely contradicts your message. Maybe it's time to reconsider who you sell your ad space to? I only bring it up, in the case that you were unaware and would like to change it.

We have implemented strict ad filters, but ads are different for each reader and are influenced by a number of factors, including terms searched on a particular computer. If you email us the url that the ad takes you to when you click on it, we will block it manually.

@cellogrlPersonally, I'm not as concerned with super modest swimwear, but I understand the conviction- I myself usually wear shorts or a one peice for exercise. However, if you feel the need to have more coverage I have noticed that many of the little girls at the pool where I work will wear spandex leggings with skirts and swim shirts or dance leotards. This might be a cheaper option than buying the more expensive, custom modest swimsuits online.

As a mom of a 2 year old girl, I can understand many reasons they would have their little children dress modestly... For one, statistics show that at least 50% of little girls will be sexually abused. I don't want grown men looking at my daughter in a sexual way! If there are that many little girls being abused, that means there are quite a number of men looking at precious children in that way. Our boys are not exempt from these disgusting statistics, one in 3 boys are sexually abused... Our sons cover up too! All of our children consider having shirts off inappropriate. This is one very small part of keeping children safe, but there's no reason to tempt the perpetrators.

I love it that the duggars make sure what they are swimming in is modest! Though I wouldn't make my two girls wear practically a dress to the pool I would never let them wear a bikini! I let my girls pick out swim shirts and shorts or skirts. If they would like to wear WholesomeWear while they're swimming than I am totally on board with that though!

It is actually cooler to wear garments when the sun is hot as opposed to bare skin. It provides shade so one does not sweat more, and the fabric wicks away the sweat one does produce. On very hot sunny days, I often wear a white long sleeved top and a long skirt. I am much cooler then when I have exposed skin.

I LOVE the Duggars example they display to the whole world! I know from experience that the swim dresses are not a problem for the Duggar ladies as I was raised swimming in a skirt all my life. I found a wonderful swim skirt on www.hydrochic.com that is made out of swimsuit material and has long shorts already in the skirt it is wonderful for all water adventures I have. God Bless the Duggars for keeping modesty a priorty!

Here is where I buy my Swimwear and I think it is plenty modest. Oh and I did not say comfy. If you are a runner, you can use your swimsuit to run in too. http://www.modestlyyoursswimwear.com/tropicalescape.html

Thank you, Michelle, for your guidance. I struggled with the thought of wearing even a full-size swimsuit since I was a teen, because of how revealing it is, and the attention you can draw as a young girl wearing next to nothing. Now that I'm grown, and a mother, I find it difficult locate a truly modest suit for my daughter. So thank you for the reference and link to Wholesome Wear.

I Love wholesome wear swim suits! I had one last year, but sadly since i am a teen and still growing it doesnt fit anymore :(. It is a little pricey so I cant buy from them every year. So I have bought from Kosher Cashual, and am considering shoping at HydroChic or Undercoverwaterwear. And I can swim in each of these swim suits! I actually feel alot more comfy in a modest swim suit than when ( I started dressing modestly about a year ago ) I used to wear a bikini..... and let me tell you changing the way I dressed was one of the best decisions that I have ever made! I am so greatfull for the Duggars and there show, because if I had never seen there show I probably never would have changed. My life is so different yet its soooooo much better! I am now involved in IBLP, its a wonderful organazation! I hope that one day the Lord would allow the Duggars and Is paths to cross!

These posts make me chuckle. If you think the swim dresses are overkill you need to Google Muslim swim attire.I think the dresses are fine and they should wear what they are comfortable in. I was never comfortable in a one piece swimsuit and over the years I have changed to wearing a skirt with attached panties and a long top that covers me. This makes me feel comfortable. If anyone is okay with men or women wearing next to nothing in public then dressing modestly shouldn't freak them out.

Thanks for leaving your comments! We answer as many of your questions as we can, but due to the number of comments we receive daily, we are unable to answer every one. Our aim is to post all points of view, but we do not post anything that is profane, insulting, derogatory, or in poor taste.

Translate This Blog

Welcome to the premiere source for factual, encouraging updates on Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar and their 19 kids (TLC's 19 Kids and Counting & Counting On). Our site is not maintained by the Duggars, but we (Lily and Ellie) are personal friends of the family.